Spiritual evolution

Spiritual evolution is the philosophical/theological/esoteric idea that nature and human beings and/or human culture evolve along a predetermined cosmological pattern or ascent, or in accordance with certain pre-determined potentials.

Related Topics:
Philosophical - Theological - Esoteric - Cosmological

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Predeterminism of evolution concept is also complemented with the idea of a creative impulse of human beings, known as epigenesis.

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Within this broad definition, theories of spiritual evolution are very diverse. They may be cosmological (describing existence at large), personal (describing the development of the individual), or both. They can be holistic (holding that higher realities emerge from and are not reducible to the lower), idealist (holding that reality is primarily mental or spiritual) or nondual (holding that there is no ultimate distinction between mental and physical reality). All of them can be considered to be teleological to a greater or lesser degree.

Related Topics:
Holistic - Idealist - Nondual - Teleological

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Philosophers, Scientists, and Educators that have proposed theories of spiritual evolution include Schelling, Hegel, Max Théon, Henri Bergson, Sri Aurobindo, Jean Gebser, Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, Arthur M. Young, Edward Haskell, E. F. Schumacher, Erich Jantsch, Clare W. Graves, and Ken Wilber. These theorists tend (for the most part) to be non-materialistic or non-reductionistic, and thus out of the intellectual mainstream.

Related Topics:
Schelling - Hegel - Max Théon - Henri Bergson - Sri Aurobindo - Jean Gebser - Pierre Teilhard de Chardin - Arthur M. Young - Edward Haskell - E. F. Schumacher - Erich Jantsch - Clare W. Graves - Ken Wilber

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